Fans get creative to milk the most out of tailgating

Saturday

Aug 31, 2013 at 7:11 PM

Quite a few of them, like many other tailgaters, had no plans to sweat out the early-afternoon game at Florida Field.

By Cindy SwirkoStaff writer

Brett Hipsley’s rapid-delivery ad lib prediction for the Gator football season, with an exaggerated voice and gesticulations like muscle-flexing to match, sounds like a cross between a radio announcer and a professional wrestler.“First of all, here’s what’s going to happen. There’s going to be 90,000 strong in the Swamp. The Gators, fighting, biting. They are going to twist heads off,” Hipsley said. “They are going to pull them apart. They are going to kick. Whatcha gonna do when the Orange and Blue runs wild?”Hipsley and a large gathering of friends and family from across Florida were psyching themselves up for the season that began Saturday with the University of Florida’s 24-6 victory over Toledo.Quite a few of them, like many other tailgaters, had no plans to sweat out the early-afternoon game at Florida Field. Instead, they lounged in comfortable chairs under fan-cooled tents with large-screen TVs, plenty of food and, of course, alcoholic drinks.“I’m going to have a comfortable spot right here. We tailgate before and after the game, and some of us hold down the fort,” said Florida alum Stacy Wright, who came from Orlando with her husband, Kurtis. “You don’t get the excitement. There is nothing like being in the Swamp, but this is nice. There are bonuses to it.”A lot of tailgaters haul mini-trailers -- usually painted in orange and blue with Florida logos -- to haul the satellite dish, televisions, cooking equipment, tables, tents, chairs, coolers, food, games and other necessities.It’s quite a production that cannot be set up and taken down in a few minutes.Millie Christensen said her family had just two tickets, so she opted to stay at the tailgate with others.“I’d rather my son go. I’ve been in enough,” she said. “We stay for a while after the game to eat, then leave when the traffic dies down.”Christensen’s tailgate was in a primo corner spot with lots of shade, definitely welcome on a hot day. So much shade that a group of people who walked up asked if they’d share a bit of it for their own ad hoc tailgate.It turns out the friends had parked at a lot nearby, north of West University Avenue.Charged $40 to park, the attendant then tried to charge them another $40 to tailgate which, in their case, was just a cooler with some beer.Unwilling to pay the “parking Nazi,” they toted the 3 1/2-foot-long cooler a couple of blocks to enjoy a few Coronas before the game.“It’s very disheartening,” Andrew Porter said. “We grabbed the cooler. I’m not going to pay $40 to drink a few beers there. But I’m always excited about the Gators, so I’m not going to let this ruin it.”